CRH name new chairman elect

Richard Boucher to succeed current chairman Nicky Hartery who will retire at the end of the year 

CRH plc, the Dublin-based global building materials group, have appointed Richard Boucher (pictured) as chairman designate. He will take over from Nicky Hartery, who has been chairman since May 2012 and a board member since 2004. Mr Hartery will retire as chairman and from the board on 31 December.

Mr Boucher, the former chief executive of Bank of Ireland, has held a number of key senior management roles with Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank. He will succeed the present chairman on 1 January 2020. 

CRH have also announced the appointment of Johan Karlström as a non-executive director, with effect from 25 September 2019. Mr Karlström previously held the position of president and chief executive officer at Skanska AB.

Commenting on the recent appointments, Nicky Hartery, chairman of CRH, said: ‘The appointments are important steps in the ongoing process of board renewal. Richie’s [Boucher] appointment as chairman designate follows a robust and thorough selection process led by CRH’s senior independent director Gillian Platt. 

‘With a track record of creating value for shareholders, he is ideally equipped to lead the board through the next phase of the group’s development. We are also delighted that Johan [Karlström] has joined the board. His background and his knowledge of our industry will be an important addition to the collective skills and experience of the board.’

Albert Manifold, chief executive of CRH, added: ‘On behalf of the board, I want to thank Nicky [Hartery] for the significant contributions he has made during his service, including his stewardship following the financial crisis and overseeing the significant reshaping of CRH’s portfolio and our ongoing business improvement initiatives during his tenure as chairman.’